Peace is priceless: let's build peace piece by piece (An ode to peace)

"Peace is priceless. Peace is quiet, peace is tranquility, peace is love. When we hear about all these attributes regarding peace, we start wondering why it is so difficult to obtain peace. I remember how the crisis started in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon. Those regions were once very peaceful, calm and serene regions, but some nine years ago, peace was obstructed. So many killings, so many kidnappings, so many atrocities committed. Thousands have had to flee from that region. I also remember the Boko Haram in the North region of Cameroon. And all of these crises, who are the victims? Women. I see women being raped, women being exploited both physically, sexually, emotionally because of this crisis. Girls have been forced to drop out of school. Some have not seen the four walls of school for many years now. We cry, we cry, we cry every day. We need peace, but how do we obtain that peace? We say peace is love, then why is there no love? Where has the love gone to? Why do we find people expressing hatred to the extent of killing one another? I each time I shed tears thinking of how our country has become, thinking of all those women who go through pain, torture, trauma because of war. Peace is priceless. How do we do to get the peace back?

Every day I see young girls coming to me complaining that they've not gone to school, they've not been to school. I find women coming to me to my foundation requesting food for their children because they are now widows due to the crisis and the war. I still say peace is priceless, how do we get it back? No amount of money can bring back all those we have lost. No amount of money can rebuild this physical, mental, emotional torture women and girls have gone through. There is nothing that we can give in exchange for peace if not for love, if not for patience, understanding, kindness. So why so many atrocities? Why so much wickedness when we can just decide to live in peace with one another? We can love one another as we love ourselves. We can show consideration. We should have some human feelings, empathy with one another. So as to avoid... I stand here today to say we need peace, not just any type of peace, the peace that brings tranquility, the peace that brings love, the peace that breeds development. Women and girls stand to say we need peace because we are the most affected. Women and girls stand up for peace. Let the world think of how to bring back peace to these affected regions. We cry for peace, we linger for peace. Peace has become our much-desired treasure. Our vocabulary has been transformed to a dictionary of peace. Peace, peace, peace. We need you.

I call on all the stakeholders of peace, all those involved in peace. It is not an individual effort but a collective effort, given that the consequences are far beyond individual solution. I call on everyone to hands-on and let's look for a permanent solution. If you preach peace in your angle, I preach peace. We all adopt the discourse of peace, we all talk about peace in our various communities. We all talk about peace to our children who are growing up, we all tell them the virtues of peace. We all encourage them to spread the culture of peace, we teach them tolerance, patience, love, kindness, togetherness, understanding, collaboration. Then we will be raising a generation of peace lovers. If they ask you what peace means, peace means love. Peace is priceless. Let's all build peace, piece by piece. Let's all take the broken pieces together and create and redesign that big puzzle which is peace. Let no one break that puzzle of peace, because rearranging it, bringing it together, takes so much more than just sitting and watching. We need concerted efforts from everyone. Let's all join our hands together for peace to reign in our homes, in our families, in our communities, in our various countries, and in the world at large.*

"Thank you very much"